Balance-staff for watches.



T. SOKOLOWSKI. BALANCE ,STAFF FOR WATCHES. APPLIOATION FILED JULY11, 1912.

l,-O75.387. Patented 001.141.1913.

i5 M J7 55 .l 57 26"' 37 IIE- E Y @55 QW A ttomup unrrnn srnrns rn'rnnfr .enten TEOFIL SOKOLOWSKI, F ST. LOUIS, MISSOUR, ASSIGNOR OF 0NE-1IALF TO EDl/VARD F. MARITZ, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BALANCE-STAFF FOR WATCHES.

nordest..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 14, 1913.

Application filed July 11, 1912. Serial No. 708,920.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, Teorie Sononowsni, a citizen oi the United States, residing. at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improveinents in Balance-Staffs for lvatrhesj and I do declare the following to be a iull, clear, and exact description oi the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art lo which it appertains to malte and use the saine.

lThis invention relates to iniprovenients` in balance staffs for watches.

One object of the invention is to provide a balance wheel stati having an improved construct-ion of bearings whereby the balance wheel will bc protected against jars caused by the watch being dropped or brought into forcible engagement with other j objects.

Another object is to provide an improved means for holding the jewels of tlre balance stati' bearing in place. l

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction,and the combination and arrangement oi' parts as will be more fully dewhich 1s arranged the upper cap jewel 19,-

scribcd and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is an enlarged sectional View through a pory tion of the balance wheel supporting platesv of, a watch showingmthe'construotidn 'andI arrangement oit' my improved stati and jewel holding mechanism; Fig. 2 is a side 'View oi' the staif removed; Fig. 3 is 'a plan View Y of the partshownein Fig. 1. Fig. el is a perspective view of one of the protecting sleeves 'forthe .pivots of the balance wheel stall; Fig. 5 Iis a perspective view of' the top jewel holder; Fig. 6 is a plan View of the cap jewel holder spring.

Referring more particularly to the draW- ings, 1 denotes my improved balance wheel steif, the .main portion of which may be of the usual or any suitable construction. On the upper end of the staff is formed an upper pivot 2 the end of which is -reduced as at 3 `to engage the hole and cap jewels .hereinnter described. 0n the'inuerendof the pivot- 2 is formed an annular groove 29 and ion enlargement lwhich is `beveled or incline'd abo-ve and lbelow to form an edge or :sharp annuler shoulder 5 'the purpose of 'which fwill be hereinafter described. On

the OPPOS@ @mi wf the Staff is a pivot 6 at the inner -end of which is formed an annular `groove (3a and an enlargement 7 which 'is sharp annular shoulder 8. '.lo the stall' 1 is adapted to be secured in anyV suitable man ner the usual or any suitable forni of balance wheel (not shown.)

ln the upper balance wheel supporting or .tace plate 9 is formed an annular bearing opening 10 the lower portion ot which is reduced as at 11 to form an annulzp' shoulder on the wall otsaid opening. Arranged in the aperture 10 is an upper pivot protecting sleeve 12 on the upper end of which is an annular flange 13 which engages the enlargcd upper portion of the aperture 10 and thereby supports the sleeve in position. Engaged with the upper portion of the aperture 10 is a centering collar 14 having an annularflango 15 which projects over and rests on the uppersinface oi" the plate 9. lilngaged with the flanged upper end of the sleeve 12 is an upper apertured jewel 16 said jewel being of substantially semi-oval shape with its flat side lowermost and in position to receive the reduced end of the upper pivot7 said end bearing against the jewel 19 as shown.

The cap jewel holder 17 is centered on the apertured jewel-.16 and in the collar 14 by an annular centering ring or holder 20. The cap jewel holder 17 and the cap jewel are yieldingly/held in position to form a flush bearing for the upper end of the pivot 2 of the stati by an upper cap holding spring 2l substantially V-shaped and secured at its apex to the upper side of the lcollar 14C by a screw 22 and the forked or diverging arms 23 project over and engage the outer face of the cap jewelholder as shown. The spring 21 also spans and holds one side of the centering ring 20 in place, said ring being held in place at its opposite side by a screw 2li arranged in the upper side of the. collar 14 as shown. Loosely mounted on the flanged upper portion'of the coll-ar 14 is the balance spring adjusting lever 25 of the watch.

nInvthe lower or bottom balance wheel supporting plate 26 is a jewel receiving aperlaperture 2? in the plete ings, the consfrucli ture 2l' the lower end o which is reduced :is at lngngred with che aperture and res'ring on the shoulder formed by L reduced lower end thereof n lower h( jewel 2l) through which die lower end of i, pivot 6 nrojeclis sind is revoluhly held in pcsirion. rhin ged with Jdie reduced po'fi in of the aperture Q3 is s lower' ceo jewel holder El() havingn lherein :i centrally disposed socket 3l in which is arranged lower suhshuitinlly senii-ovel shaped lower cap jewel the izu; surfi or which is uppermost und is adapted lo receive *che end of the lower' pivot G which hears 'chereon es shown. The lower cup jewel. holder 30 is held in position to yieldiugly support 'che lower cap jewel 32 and lower end of balance by s lower jewel holder sujiipcrling spring which is consrruced in ehe seine manner as the upper jewel holder spring 2l and is secured to the lower 2G hy s screw as shown.

Engaged with upper portion o;

l i is n. lower pivot proiecting sleeve 35 having on ils lower end an' annuler radially projecting flange 36 which lics in ihe upper pori/ion of the apen iure 27 end reels on the upper side ol' the -hole jewel 29. The sleeve 35 is held in place in the eperure 27 hy serews 37 arranged in che plaie 26 und having' rheir heads engagged willi. the er ges o'l vthe 36 ci? the sleeve :is shown.

ifirrunged in die upper plate 9 is n hnlnnce springl pest 33 lo which is adapted lio he secured in lhc usuel manner the usual balance spring;` (not shown).

By yieldingly holding the upper and lower ewcls of che slal in posiiion as here in shown and descrihed ift will he seen that the stuff will he permitied to give or yield longitudinally when uilecled in this direction by the jarring or shaking oi' the weich, lhe yielding` supper-? for the jewels 'raking up the shocks und 'jars occasioned .hy shaking or bringing 'die Vulch inte forcible engagement with o'her objects and which would otherwise he applied to the balance wheel wilh rnore or less disastrous resulis,

lily providing he proecti l2 :ind

for che upper und lower pivors the lmlnnce stell" und providing seid slaves the unnulzir enlurgenicus i, will he that lhe simil" will he held against lnler movement in :my direciion which niie'hl; rc-

e suit in breaking the ends or he 'pirors o the jewels with which lliey engaged. l forming sharp annuler shouldersA on lll-.ie enlzire en's oi liv pivots she friction cusioned hy Jhe enger' nienl oi? rlnrgenients with the inner surface j'n'otectine; sleeves is reduced to e nil llroni he foregoing description las connection wil-h A:reconnu n, al,

L. all@ :in annuler groove et n point removed from euch end 'thereof and that portion outwardly wich respect to he groove tapering and ing in s reduced, lerniinus to provide a pm or, ai flanged proceciing sleeve Inouned aguiirs seid shoulder and projecting` from saidfgifsce and ercending into the {rroo'll'e si; che upper end of the steffi? a flanged prolecing sleeve seated in and projecting fr'roin che hocroin plete sind extendino the groove ai the lower end of the steli, s psir of jewels abutting against `lhe llunged end oli each sleeve, one of said jew els being' provided with en opening for the passage oi' :L pivot and the other or' .said jewels having e socket for the reception o die pires, seid sleeves coperziingwith seid pluies for nminliaining she slall in positiona 2. il balance 'wheel staff for watches having its ends reduced to iorin pivots, upper und lower balance wheel supporting pieles having; apertures inl hole jewels arranged in apertures and adapted to receive -the ends of seid pivots, cap jewel holders engaged with said hole jewels.y cup jewels arranged in said holders and adapted te forni thrust hearings Jfor the ends of ille pivots, en upper cencering collar arranged zhe aperture orn seid upper supporl', en upper holder centering ring arranged in said coller7 and e jewel holder spring; secured nl one endA to said centering coller sind. its other end to ,said upper cap jewel holder, said spring' spanning seid cenli inn' ring and sdspl'ed io engage and yielflingly suppor the cap jewel holders. in place.

2l. j* hnlzince @loll for welches having its ffcnieuls'A pu s, ser@ enlzirgeinenzs heine beveled nhove and below 'llo forni sharp annular slnurlders7 hulnnce wheel supporting plates having uperuures therein, jewels yieldingly secured in ssid ujier'rures so receive said piv-- 'ne sion lo encircle said annular shoulders and ierein, upper and lower to hold the pivots of the staff against lateral movement in any direction forming e hearingl with which the sharp annular shoulders on the enlargements of the pivots are engaged when the balanee wheel shaft is jarred in a lateral direction.

A balance wheel staff for watches having its ends reduced to forno pivots, balance wheel supporting plates .having apertures therein, hole jewels arranged in seid apertures and ,adapted to receive the ends of said pivots, cap jewel holders engaged with said hole jewels, cap jewels arranged in said holders and adapted to form thrust bearings for the ends of the pivots, a jewel centering collar arranged in the aperture/f Z0 nesses.

TEOFIL SOKOLOV SKI. lVitnesses JAS. E. ROBERTS, CHARLES WEBER. 

